The Tender Heart of Voldemort
by DarkCrawler111
Summary: Voldemort was captured and now escaped Hermione's secret place she had kept him in. Hermione has fully given up everything and everyone in her life in the name of justice and the hopes she can change Voldemort. Will she have the stregnth to carry on?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Chapter 1: Hotel in the Clouds

(LV)

I awoke in a strange room. A muggle room. It was small, with disgustingly cheery pink, red, and green wallpaper adorning the walls. There was a fake wooden dresser with cheap metal hinges painted over to look like gold. A small television and an even smaller refrigerator sat on top of it, with an almost too large mirror behind them. A tiny circular table sat in the corner with two very uncomfortable looking grey chairs. A window was on one side of the room, blinds drawn closed, and the opposite side there was a door with a curious handle with a little red light shining from it.

I was laying quite rigidly underneath some blankets. Whoever put me here doesn't know much about me or else they would have known that I do not generate my own body heat, just like a snake. I glanced over past the hideously plain lamp on the nightstand, and saw there was another bed, completely made, untouched.

_I must have been cursed._ I think to myself. I am the most powerful wizard that ever lived, and yet I have no clue how I got to this hotel room. I know my wand is missing, because I cannot feel its warmth in my robes.

I suddenly hear rustling at the door and watch as the light on the knob turns from red to green. I smile to myself, _Oh, this will be fun. _

In walks a young teenage girl, hair wildly frizzy falling to her shoulders, a frightened smile on her face. I smite a laugh, _Good luck little girl. You have no idea what you are in for._

"Umm, hi!" she breathed in a high pitch nervous tone.

I decide to play along with her. "Greetings." I smile, as if nothing is wrong. "You must be in the wrong room."

She shakes her head. "No, this is my room." she musters a smile, and pulls a small sandwich out of her beaded bag slung across her shoulder. "Here, I brought this for you." she shakily held it out to me, much too far for me to reach it from where I lay on the bed.

I smiled, a very cruel, sinisterly evil smile. "Oh, how kind of you." I say as I begin to stand up.

The girl quickly whips out a wand from in her pocket, but holds it steady at her side. Foolish move.

With a bat of my hand, the wand flies out of her grasp and into mine. I point it at her, the smile faded from my face. She drops the sandwich, fear breathing off of her like a bittersweet stench, and she backs away into a corner. Another foolish move.

"Did you bring me here?" I asked, digging the tip of her own wand into her cheek.

She faked being brave and looked me right in the eyes. "Yes."

"Avada Kedavera!"

I fell to the floor, pain coursing through my veins like electricity. Parts of my body that I didn't even know had nerves were on fire. I felt like I was being burned alive. I screamed and writhed and tried to hold onto anything. I wouldn't let go of the wand, incase the stupid girl would try something with it. I heard her yell something but couldn't understand what she said. My ears were ringing with such a high pitch, my head felt like it would explode. I quick caught a glimpse of the wand in my hand and found it glowing bright red. The vile child hexed her wand. I threw it away and the pain immediately ceased. I stood up, not wanting to show her that I still felt an annoying irritation on my skin. She had already grabbed her wand.

"I- I'm s-sorry." she stuttered. Her fear was even stronger now. I breathed it in, relishing in every breath. It smelled so sweet, I could taste it on the back of my tongue. "But I had to do something incase you would try to use it." she justified.

I furrowed my brow and folded my arms, very uncharacteristic of me, but then again, none of the situation I was in was normal. "I am done toying with you." I said. "I will kill you the old fashioned way."

"Stupefy!"

Foolish girl. My catlike reflexes completely dodged her attack, sending it shooting into the small refrigerator, bursting it into a million pieces. I walked slowly towards her, inhaling all of her fear. I have never killed anyone with my own bare hands before, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't.

I grabbed her by her neck and pushed her into the wall hard. I slowly edged her up it so that her feet would be completely suspended. She kicked and thrashed. I hit her wand out of her hand long before she could even try to curse me. I paid no mind to the small amount of pain she put on me as she kicked into my legs. This would be over soon.

I suddenly felt weak, like I couldn't get enough air. I tried breathing deeper as I squeezed her neck harder, digging in my nails. My breathing became more rapid, more congested. I couldn't understand it, I can suck in air fine, it was as if the air in the room had become thin and weak. The girls thrashes became less violent, but I found it increasingly hard to hold her up; I sank her down so that her feet were on the floor but kept my hand around her neck strong. I began to violently gasp for air and I started seeing little white dots in front of my eyes, my head began spinning. I couldn't keep a grip on her and fell back onto the floor, my arms keeping me from cracking the back of my head. I felt the girl somewhat fall onto my legs, and as she stood up, steadying herself, the white dots began to fade and I felt I could breathe again, but my throat was sore as if I fell ill. I batted my hands downward, and by magic my body flew up into a standing position. This girl was starting to be very irritating.

"Another hex I suppose?"

Her hands were to her neck, rubbing. She had little small cuts where my nails had been, and I'm sure they hurt her very much. I smelled her fear subside and could feel her sense of accomplishment. She must be very proud that she was able to hex me.

"It worked!" her voice scratchy, but still emitting her sense of disbelief clearly.

"So, I suppose anything I do to you, is done to me?"

"Anything that happens to me, you feel. Whether you do it or not."

"Where is my wand?" I asked. I felt cut off from the outside world in this little hotel room, so I knew that she had placed multiple spells to it, making me not call to anything.

"Its in a safe place." but she hesitated.

I smirked out of frustration. "You lie."

"No, I have it hidden."

"You destroyed my wand." It was more of a statement, because I already knew she had.

"No."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, I struck her with blunt force, right in the face and she flew to the floor. Of course I felt it, but I couldn't help it. How dare this mud blood lie to me? She is just lucky I don't kill her and I both. Of course, I would still be alive; I still have many horecruxs, but I would rather not live in that existence between bodies again if I could help it.

It didn't hurt me very much, but I could tell it hurt her, perhaps more emotionally than anything. She probably wasn't used to being smacked in the face. She was trying to stifle back tears. How pathetic!

I grabbed her ferociously by her wrist and tugged her. "Stand up!"

She did, and quickly rubbed away the tears with her sleeve. Where I struck her was bright red and I could see my clear hand print. "Ok, I destroyed it."

"You will find it is much less painful to tell me the truth."

"Oh really?" she asked in a very smart tone. Lord, if she was my child, she would have the shit smacked out of her. "I think it seems that I am the one in charge here!"

_Ah, look who suddenly became sure of herself._ My mouth twitched in irritation.

"You seem to be the one trapped here." she stated, which I wasn't sure was entirely true. I hadn't tried to escape yet, so I had no clue how powerful her magic keeping he in here would be.

I strode over to the window, certain the door had more hex's than it, and opened the curtains. "You have to be joking." For the first time in my life, I was trapped. The outside was not a usual hotel parking lot, scattered with random cars, a little garden, and a small rarely driven on country road. No, the ground outside was at least a 500 foot drop and below was a treacherous mountain top, completely covered in ice and snow. I wouldn't last 5 minutes out there on my own without apparating, but I was sure she had placed a spell on me to keep me from doing that too. For being so simple, this girl really had thought of everything.

Being captured by this girl did not hurt my sense of self assurance, though. Many great wizards had been captured or killed. Most suffered the later, but this girl needed something from me. Why else would she keep me alive? If she had the capability to capture me, she had the capability to kill me. This gave me the upper hand, no matter how she looked at it.

I slowly strode over to her, not making any quick movements, her sweet smell of fear a lot less potent now that she was more sure of herself. I grabbed her by her upper arms and picked her up, holding her against the wall. She didn't thrash, her heart beat barely accelerated, and she had a strong look of authority on her face. I couldn't believe her cockiness. "You should let me go." I said in a calm icy tone.

"No." she stated flatly.

_Argh! _I fought back the urge to strike her again. "Why not? What could you possibly want from me?" I asked. "Power? Secrets?…. A place as a death eater?" I said the last one with a smile, because I knew its not what she wanted, yet I wanted to insult her as if she did.

"I want to help you." she said with an almost sad look on her face.

To this, I released her, turned away, and laughed, loving the feeling of dread it put on her. I turned back to face her while leaning on the edge of the fake wood dresser, folding my arms. "What help could I possibly need from you?"

"You are sick…" she said hesitantly. "You are disturbed. Nobody is truly evil. I want to help you."

I was baffled. How could such an utterly senseless muggle be capable of capturing me? _Unless, _I realized, _she had help._

"Who do you work for?" I asked, standing straight up, arms still folded.

She seemed confused. "Nobody."

I walked towards her, subconsciously sticking out my chest. It had become second nature to my body to position itself in a menacing, controlling stance. I stopped just a couple inches short, staring down at her, arms still folded in front of me. "I grow tired of the lies." I threatened. "I struck you once," I leaned down so that my face was inches away from hers, raising my voice to a yell. "What makes you think I won't do it again?"

"I! Work! Alone!" she shouted back.

My arm twitched to strike her, but I held back.

"What makes you think that ANYBODY would want to help you?" she said, her eyes squinting, making her face a look of disgust. "I can barely believe I do, after what you've done."

"Then why not just kill me?" I breathed. "You afraid of killing?"

She stuck out her chest haughtily. "No!"

I smiled, because I knew she was. I gently grabbed the wrist of the hand that held her wand and pointed it at my chest, right on my heart. "Then do it."

She glanced from my eyes, to the wand, and back again.

"Go on." I steadied my stance and held both hands to her wrist, locking it. "Do it. By killing me, you will save so many useless lives." I taunted. I knew she wouldn't do it, but I wanted to make her second guess herself.

She forcefully ripped her arm away and returned her wand to her pocket. "I will not entertain this." she stated. "I have to get back to somebody. I just wanted to-"

"What? See if your simple spells contained me?" I cut off.

She sighed, I could feel how frustrated she was. It made me smile. "I wanted to make sure you had something to eat. I will be back soon." she promised.

"I will not eat that wretched thing." I scoffed.

"Fine." she said pushing past me and walking towards the window. She stared at it for some time, looking out to the raging blizzard outside. "I will return in a couple of days. There's more food and drinks in the-" but she stopped, realizing she had already blown apart the small refrigerator. She started over. "I will be back."

Just like that, she apparated and left me alone yet again in this disgusting "hotel room". I sighed in frustration and sat down on the bed that was untouched. I told myself it wouldn't be long before I figured out how to escape, still not feeling any sense of insolence to my situation. _Any wizard could be held captive for a little while. I will be able to escape. _I thought to myself. _And then I would find this girl, and kill her._

_Next Chapter: Hermione unites with Ron and Harry to help them destroy a horecrux, but she returns to Voldemort right before they destroy it, and sees what it does to him. The Dark Lord attempts an escape. Is he successful? What will she do to make him stay?_

_A.N. So, what do you think? Please review if you think I should continue. The point of view will change in each chapter, so please don't get confused. I will abbreviate whose point of view it is at the top of each chapter so there is no confusion. If you have any suggestions or constructive criticism, go ahead and review. _


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

A.N. Incase you were wondering, the story takes place after book 6. Ron, Hermione, and Harry are camping in the forest and looking for the horecruxs. They already have the sword of Gryffindor to destroy them.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Chapter 2: Pain of the Soul

(HG)

I programmed my watch to alarm me a couple minutes before it transported me back to the hotel room I created to hold Voldemort. I honestly didn't know why I chose a hotel room as a safe place to hold him, but it seemed right at the time. Maybe should have made it a more luxurious mansion kind of setting, but I didn't want to give him too much room to sneak around. Plus the bigger my fake hotel, the more unstable it would become the longer I was away from it.

I had to use some magic to erase the red handprint Voldemort adorned on my face before I reunited with Harry and Ron. Sometimes Ron looked over things, like if I do my hair differently or if I am irritated, he is clueless; but he definitely would have noticed a giant handprint mark. I felt terrible hiding my big secret from them, but I had to. Dumbledore gave me that book for a reason, because he knew that I would be the only one understanding enough to complete the task. Surely Voldemort has to pay for what he has done, but maybe if I could make him understand and feel his victims pain, he would comply to the ministry. I couldn't let his death eaters find him either, because they would corrupt him again. I wasn't entirely sure my plan would work, it had taken me a month to think and plan and set everything up, but I was glad it did. Its what Dumbledore would have wanted.

I gave Harry a quick smile when I passed him by the campfire. He always woke early, probably because of the horrible dreams he had. It made me sad to see him in such pain, so I tried to be as nice to him as possible. Ron sometimes misunderstood my niceness for me being attracted to him, which made me extremely irritated. He often misunderstood why I do things; you would think after knowing me for so long he would have been able to figure me out by now. Perhaps that was giving him too much credit though.

I retrieved some herbs from the forest and returned to make some tea and a nice breakfast consisting of eggs, smoked bacon, and peanut butter toast. Ron I could hear was still snoring away, as usual.

Harry returned inside and sat at the table, holding his head up with his right arm, and in his left hand he was twirling his wand. In my mind I remembered Mrs. Weasley telling Harry to not play with such a thing, for he could accidentally curse someone or something, depending on what he was thinking about. I fought the motherly urge to tell him this, knowing it would just irritate him.

"Do you suppose, Hermione, that Voldemort made more than seven horecruxs?"

"No, you said in the memory he talked about making seven." I said half listening to him, half concentrating on the stubborn eggs.

"Yes, but that was when he was 16." he said almost too quietly for me to hear him.

"I don't know Harry." I said, trying to pick the pieces of egg shell out of the pan before I lost sight of them.

"Maybe your right. I don't know how many times you can split your soul before you become completely insane and inhuman."

Once the bacon started simmering, I could hear Ron stirring in his room, fumbling with his clothes. He always woke when he smelled food. I smiled to myself.

Harry put his wand away and grabbed the radio, listening for any more names of people who had been killed. I swallowed hard, hoping it wouldn't say anything about Voldemort's disappearance. I didn't need any more distractions from finding these horecruxs.

We traveled to the town Voldemort had grown up in, searching for the orphanage Dumbledore had rescued him from. It seemed like it was eternally overcast by dark grey clouds. Nothing had color. The old houses creaked, run down, windows missing, some with doors ripped off the hinges. We saw nobody. A couple of feral cats fighting in an alleyway seemed to be the only noise. Grass grew from between the sidewalk and pothole adorned road. Not even the wind blew here.

"What an eyesore." Ron said, looking around at the filthy abandoned town.

The orphanage loomed at the end of the street, casting an evil presence. The sign hung crooked, barely still up hanging off one hinge. The windows were barred, black graffiti sprayed on the door in some sort of other language. Even the grass in the tiny fenced in yard was brown and dull.

We walked up to the door, which was chained shut with a giant lock. What was interesting is that the lock had no place for a key, and no turn knob to put in a number combination. I studied it for a minute, and found a symbol scratched in the paint on the backside. It resembled an orb with some kind of scorpion thing eating it..

"What do you suppose this means?" I asked showing it to Harry and Ron.

"Looks like some sort of hex symbol maybe?" Harry offered.

I jumped, for it sounded like a siren was screaming down the street. We looked but found nothing, yet the sound still rang. After a second, I recognized it as one of those state of emergency alarms, resembling the sounds of a fire truck. I felt the hairs on my arms and neck creep up to a stand. I didn't like this. Nobody was in the town, who would have set off the alarm?

"Stay together." Harry said as he slung his arm around mine. I held my other arm out for Ron and he took it, holding tight. Our wands were out, ready for whatever was going to happen.

The sky started getting darker. It was as if whatever light was able to shine through was dimming slowly. I could feel the air growing rapidly colder around us and a light wind began blowing.

Ron took out his bottle of light and opened it, hoping the light would attach to the street lamps. It flew over to them, turned right back around and returned into the bottle. I saw the disappointment on Ron's face. This was the first time he could have made some important use of Dumbledore's gift to him, but it didn't work.

"Maybe we are supposed to not be able to see… maybe what we see will frighten us." I offered. It seemed to make him feel a little bit better.

"Yeah, maybe." he said.

The wind died down and the alarm suddenly stopped, leaving us in complete darkness and silence. I didn't even hear Ron and Harry's breathing, but they still held my arms. They probably were just holding their breath like I was.

I felt Ron suddenly grip my wrist tightly, almost too tight.

"Ron!" I whispered, tugging on my arm, but he held it fast. "Ronald, your hurting me.

"I'm not even touching you." he said.

"Ron, I feel you grabbing my wrist! Let go!" I said, irritated.

Wait, something was wrong. Ron's hand felt a little cold… and I suddenly realized I didn't hear him from beside me. His voice came from in front of me.

"Lumos!" Harry commanded, knowing something was wrong.

I screamed. From what I could see, green scaly hands with extremely long silver fingernails held my wrists. Ron and Harry were both in front of me, taken aback by what they saw. I could see they were looking at what those hands belonged to, and I could feel an incredibly large presence behind me. I dared not look up or back, I was completely paralyzed by fear. In most horror movies, once the victim saw the monster, they were killed, so I thought it better to just not see what was behind me.

Ron lifted up his wand and pointed it at the beast holding me, about to cast whatever spell he thought necessary to ward off the monster.

"Ron, don't!" I whispered. It was more like a shout from the volume of it, but I didn't want to frighten the creature behind me. "It hasn't hurt me, maybe it won't."

"Hermione, are you insane? If you could see this thing!" Harry said in the exact tone I had.

"Hurting it would be anyone's response. Voldemort is much more crafty, he wants us to try to attack it." I reasoned.

"What? How would you know? Maybe its here to kill us. Its staring down right at you!" Ron said in his high pitch frightened tone.

I felt through my entire body the creature growl from its core, and its sickeningly sweet stench filled my nostrils. I felt a wet soppiness to my hair and knew the creature was drooling on me; but why all this show. It had me in its grasp, why hadn't it attacked me yet?

Be-beep, be-beep!

My alarm was going off signaling it would teleport me to Voldemort in a minute. I couldn't go now, but the creature held onto me so that I couldn't reprogram it to take me back another time.

The beeping seemed to alarm the giant monster, because it roared, a bone chilling, deadly roar. It resembled the dinosaurs in the movie Jurassic Park. It picked me up, still holding onto my wrists, and threw me up into the air. I tumbled in the darkness, not knowing what was up, or what was down. I felt like I was in space, weightless, just floating along in a crazy fumble. I had no clue if I would suddenly collide into a building, slam against the ground, or by some chance be impaled by a fence. I reached for my wand, but my robes were in a crazy turmoil. I fumbled with them desperately, every second I felt being closer and closer to death. I felt a slight pull behind my naval, and felt sick from all the tumbling.

I felt my face smack hard onto the ground. I had landed on my chest, the wind knocked out of me. I didn't move, afraid I would suddenly explode in pain. I had to be injured badly, for I was still in so much shock, that I felt no pain. I was afraid to try and open my eyes, afraid of what I would see.

Wait… I could sense light. I wasn't in the blackness.

My eyes shot open, and staring back at me were sunken in, red catlike eyes.

I screamed, and fumbled backwards on my behind, until I caught myself. I was back in the hotel room with Voldemort.

He stood up, quite gracefully, from the floor and waited for me to get up, red eyes staring cruelly at me."You have found my horecrux." he stated.

I stood up, righted my robes, and put my hand in my pocket, holding onto my wand for comfort. "Yes."

"Ah, there's a good girl." he sneered. "I can sense Potter's around it."

"We are going to destroy it!" I said proudly.

"Ha!" he laughed, evilly, sending chills down my spine. "I doubt you even know-"

He paused. It wasn't exactly a pause, it was almost like he turned to stone, his facial expression froze, his body remained stuck in the same posture, his eyes lifeless. I wondered if it was some kind of trick, so I waited, just watching him. I debated taking this chance to apparate back to Harry and Ron to help them destroy the horecrux, but decided not to, since Voldemort sensed Harry had it. They must have defeated the creature, or whatever it was they had to do in order to get into the orphanage.

Suddenly, Voldemort fell to the floor, screaming like I had never heard anybody scream before. His body acted in very slow movements. He took forever to reach his hand out to me and claw at the floor. His wailing was almost inhuman, and had two different pitches to it. His head rose to look at me, and it was the saddest, horrible look I had ever seen on any living creature. It had such agony, such heartache, such despair in it that my heart grew very heavy, and I felt extremely bad for Voldemort.

"Please! Help me!" he pleaded, which only made me feel worse.

I hadn't the slightest clue what it would feel like to have a part of your soul die, but judging from what Voldemort was displaying, it was pure utter torture of every kind. He looked like Harry had when his uncle, the only remaining member of his family, the only person he could tie back to his parents, was killed. He looked like me, when I saw Ron snogging with that wretched 5th year girl, breaking my heart into a million pieces. He looked like he was in excruciating physical pain, so much that he had to fight to move.

I kneeled down to him, and touched his head. It felt wrong, like something inside me was stirred by it, and yet I couldn't help it. A part of me said he deserved it, he had done so much to so many others, and yet another part of me sympathized. How does a person become like this, become such a monster? Voldemort had to have gone through things I couldn't even imagine to become the way he was. And now he was feeling all of it again in one giant ball of pain.

I rubbed his back, which I could feel was so contracted and tense it felt like rubbing stone. He laid there for a while, silently sobbing to himself, the physical pain probably already passed. I felt him relax under my hand and heard his breathing become normal. His hands closed into a clench, and he let out a long sigh.

I stood up, giving him room to collect himself. For a while he just lay there, not moving, barely breathing, but then he rose, very slowly to a stand. Something was wrong. His face was completely blank. His eyes were wide, completely white voids, and he shut them, bowing his head. He rose his hands up, almost like he was embracing some sort of invisible force, and he started to hum. He wasn't humming a song, just one continuous note, getting louder and louder. I could feel the vibration of his throat in my entire body, as if he was in front of a microphone and I was laying on the speakers. It was almost a pleasant feeling, but I stayed on edge, not knowing what was happening.

Voldemort's head rose up to the ceiling and a terrible high pitched scream emitted from him. It was unearth like, almost resembling that of mermaids out of water. I covered my ears and backed into a corner. The television screen burst apart, spraying the glass in all directions. The mirror cracked and crashed to the floor behind the dresser. The windows shook and banged against the metal holding them in, until finally, they too exploded apart. I scrambled behind the bed on my hands and knees, trying to escape the blast of glass. Some had flown under the bed, though, and cut into my calf's, feet, and hands. Once the glass settled, I peered over the bed, the below freezing air hitting me like a brick wall.

Voldemort was gone.

Next Chapter: Will Hermione be able to save Voldemort from the harsh conditions of the mountains? How will she explain her long absence to Ron and Harry?

A.N. So, this story is for you, the reader. Now I will take requests as to where you want the story to head. You can either leave me comments or message me, and I will pick the one I think makes the most sense and is the best to incorporate it into my future chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

Note: The abbreviations at the top of each chapter is the point of view. LV is Lord Voldemort. HG is Hermione Granger, etc. etc.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Chapter 3: Getting Closer

(LV)

I was adorned with nothing but my robes and the power of magic vested in my body. I had no wand, I had no pack for survival. What I needed, I would have to summon myself. I would not remain trapped. I would not just sit back and let these children destroy my horecruxs. Where they got the ability to find them or to destroy them, I do not know. The pain I felt when they destroyed my horecrux was excruciating; much worse than the pain I felt making one.

The bitter cold wind was brutal. I made clothes on my body with magic for protection, but I could not make them warm. I had to find a place I could hide, some sort of cave where I could make a fire. I already felt my body getting weak.

It was extremely difficult moving through the snow, the top layer was thin ice, and underneath it the snow was thick and heavy. I was too weak to fly without a broom, so I was forced to walk. I had used all of my magic energy breaking the spells that young girl had placed on the exits of the hotel. I was weak, I was hungry, I was tired.

The below freezing arctic wind froze me to my bones. I could tell my body temperature was falling. With my last efforts, I wildly trudged through the harsh climate, hoping to find a cave.

It was a foolish move really to have left the hotel room. If I had waited, if I had thought any of this out, I would have known not to leave. I was weak from the part of my soul being killed, I was weak from lack of food and water, I was weak from not sleeping, but of course I hadn't thought of any of this before I broke out. It was fight or flight, and I chose the latter, because fighting and killing this girl, as long as I was in that room, would kill me as well.

My extremities were numb, which made me much more clumsy in the snow. The falling ice shards felt like little pellets scratching at my skin from the intense power of the wind. I rose my head to try to look around for any kind of shelter, but with the snow being wildly thrown about by the wind, I could barely see mere feet in front of me.

I felt my fake magical clothes fading away, I was becoming so weak that the spells I cast to keep myself warm were disappearing. I began to feel helpless for the first time in my life. I wasn't in control, I couldn't fight against this. I had always wondered how I would die, if I would, but had never considered it being like this, being frozen in the middle of some forsaken mountaintop. I didn't have a wand anymore, so I couldn't call for my death eaters. I was completely alone, left to die.

I lay down in the snow, completely exhausted, not able to take another step. I could feel my heart beating getting erratic. I was waiting to feel it stop. I closed my eyes and relaxed my body.

I felt something warm grasp my hand. I barely even had the energy to open my eyes, but I couldn't see clearly. All I could see was a blur in the shape of a girl. I smiled, _Hermione has come for me_.

We apparated back up into the broken hotel room. I was too weak to stand, so I stumbled to the floor, grasping onto one of the small chairs for support. The wind still blew inside, but it was still warmer than out in the snow. Hermione had started repairing the window and the charms to keep me inside. I was somewhat relieved to have still been alive, but not relieved to be back in the accursed room.

Once I was able to stand, I got up from my kneeling position on the floor and sat in the chair I was using for leverage. I was so cold still; the warmth was wondrous, but it was taking too long to get through my body. I didn't shiver, for I wasn't warm-blooded, but I felt my heart beat steadily getting faster to its usual pace.

The girl turned to me with a very stern look on her face which made me want to laugh. "Thank goodness you were wearing black robes at least!"

I smiled to her, which I could hear made her heart skip a beat. "You have an odd way of fortifying your beliefs that I can change." I stated.

It wasn't what she had expected to hear for I saw the slightest nudge of confusion before she answered. "We need to make sure you aren't going to come back."

"If you truly believe that I can change, as you say you do, then why put me through the torture of killing the remaining parts of my soul bound to horecruxs? Hmmmm?"

She hesitated. "Because you can't be immortal. Only when you are able to die will you be able to change."

I couldn't believe this. Where had she come up with such a wild idea? Either she was made to believe this ridiculous theory by Dumbledore, or she was seriously misunderstanding him.

"And what if I convince you that I do not need to change?" I asked.

She was starting to shield her feelings from me. I felt an invisible wall come in between me and her, making me not be able to feel what she felt. Very interesting of her to do. It said a lot.

"You mean to tell me, that I will somehow find your side to be more thrilling? That I can simply be convinced that killing innocent people is right?" She looked disgusted, but I couldn't tell if it was fake or not.

"I do not kill innocent people." I stated.

She gave me a look of bewilderment and folded her arms in front of her. "I don't have time for this."

"You never have time to see what you are afraid of." I said, looking up at her with a smirk on my face. Her invisible wall blocking me out was becoming thinner and thinner. I could feel the curiosity burning inside of her. She was incredibly intelligent, which was a great advantage to me, because most intellectual people, like myself, see what the other ordinaries don't see. She indeed wasn't afraid to know why I do what I do, she was afraid she would agree with it. She was taught by society what it meant to be good, and that you listen to the rules and follow everyone else. This was her only downfall, which had been brought on by her muggle lifestyle.

She had stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to read my body language. Her arms relaxed, but remained folded in front of her; the wall she put up to not let me be able to feel her emotions was slowly fading away. Her heart beat was still a little faster than usual. I slowly stood, gracefully walking towards her, relishing the way her hair on the back of her neck stood as I grazed by her, my robes lightly brushing her arm. She twitched slightly as I stood behind her, but she didn't move.

I leaned down to her, gently placing my hands on her extremely tense shoulders. I leaned in beside her ear and she quickly unfolded her arms and placed a hand in her pocket, holding onto her wand. She was still afraid of me, which made me smile.

"You have been made a fool from your muggle upbringing, child." I whispered in her ear, which I could tell slightly tickled her, but she didn't move, she was still too frightened. She wanted to seem strong and unafraid, but her wall was completely down now, and I could taste her sweet fear in the back of my throat. "If you truly are as intelligent as you seem, then you will belong to me."

She spun around, looking me dead in the face, her cinnamon hot fury mixed with her sweet fear tasted delicious. "I belong to no one!" she said, raising her voice for effect.

I smiled. "You are just like me." I said, feeling her rage become more hot. "The only difference is that you lived in a perfect world. A world that threw me away. A world that didn't have the chance to brainwash me with its beliefs."

A look of disgust washed over her face. "You are sick."

"Yes, to your world, I am. But to mine, I am just a normal incredibly gifted wizard." I boasted intentionally. I liked making her angry, it made her think clearer.

"We all live in the same world, Tom."

A burning sensation crept up inside my gut at the sound of my former name. She indeed was smart. She knew what would set me off. She had caught on to my little game and was turning it back on me. _Very clever, little girl._

"There are worlds within worlds, Hermione. I have seen a million peoples worlds in my lifetime."

This intrigued her, but she didn't ask for more. This would take much time, I knew, but in the end, the girl who would try to change me would wind up being changed herself.

"So, can I trust that you will not try to commit suicide again?" she asked smartly.

"I would have been able to manage if you hadn't destroyed my wand." I stated.

She made a face, much like one from a rebellious daughter to her parent. This made me incredibly sure of myself, because no matter what she was telling herself, she was becoming closer to me.

"I have to go." she said as she walked towards the window which she had repaired to its perfect condition. "I will be back in a couple of days."

"Oh, please don't keep me waiting. I have many things to tell you!" I smiled.

I felt her smile inside. She was definitely warming up to me, I could tell. She had much to learn, but she would definitely see things my way soon enough.

As she apparated, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of loneliness. I sat on my bed, staring at the floor for some time. I remembered feeling like this when I was between bodies after I had attempted to kill the Potter child. It was extremely spirit breaking. I had waited for 13 years for one of my followers to resurrect me, yet none had come. They all had excuses as to why, but the one who feared me the most was the one who brought me back. I sometimes pondered on the thought that fear drove loyalty more than anything.

I felt a pain in my stomach. It had been days since I had eaten, and I could tell my body was starting to wither away. The girl had forgotten to provide me with food and water again. I grew tired of drinking the water from the sink.

I tried making food appear with the magic I possessed, but it didn't work. Apparently the girl had made the spells keeping me in stronger.

I retired to the bed, deciding that sleeping would be good for me now that I had almost tried to kill myself in the arctic snow. The bed was very warm and comfortable, and I drifted off to sleep quickly once I closed my eyes.

(HG)

I had apparated directly behind Ron and Harry in an alleyway in the town where Voldemort's orphanage home was. I almost immediately panicked, for if they saw me apparate, they would know that I was lying. I quickly set my watch to alarm me in 40 hours to return to Voldemort, and ran up to Ron and Harry from behind.

"Ronald!" I screamed as I ran to embrace him. I had a fake look of fear on my face, which I am sure Ron bought more than Harry did. He turned around and embraced me in a clumsy hug, kissing me on my forehead and squeezing me almost too tightly.

"Hermione! I thought I had lost you!" he whispered, exasperated.

"Where have you been? We have been looking all over for you!" Harry smiled, relieved they had found me.

I looked behind me, quickly checking out the scenery before answering. I saw a large clump of dead bushes with their branches thickly intertwined enough so that someone could hide behind it without being seen. "I was knocked out behind those bushes, until I heard you guys calling for me." I said.

I was a terrible liar, because I saw Harry's doubt and a little bit of pain in his face. He was hurt I was lying to him, but he didn't want to call me out in front of Ron, who clearly bought my story.

"I am just thankful you are ok!" Ron said, showering me with more kisses. I smiled and embraced him back, trying not to look at Harry's eyes staring right at me. I hoped he wouldn't ask me what I was doing, because I couldn't convincingly lie to him.

Throughout the day, it seemed like Harry had left me be with my secrets. He hadn't asked me anything in private about what happened to me, and why I had lied about where I was. It was extremely relieving, because it let me have time enough to decide whether or not I would tell Harry what I was doing. I decided to not lie to him anymore, because it would only make him lose his trust in me as a friend. Then again, it didn't mean I would actually tell him what I was doing. I had hoped it would be enough for him if I told him I was doing business for Dumbledore that he had wanted me to do alone.

I would soon find out though, because while I kept watch that night, Harry crept outside to join me by the fire long after Ron had fell asleep.

I smiled at him, almost too cheerfully. It was written all over my face that I knew why he was awake. I tried not to fiddle and become awkward in front of Harry, but I couldn't help it. I never had to hide anything from him before in my life, and it made me feel wrong. He had his secrets sometimes, but he wound up always revealing them to Ron and I in the end.

Harry sat down next to me, holding his hands to the fire to keep them warm. I was roasting a pot of fur nuts over the fire, and held out the pot towards him, offering him some. He silently declined, which made me feel even more awkward because I didn't feel like I could initiate friendly conversation without seeming to be blundering. So, I just returned to roasting the nuts, waiting for the questions that I knew were coming.

"Nice night isn't it?" Harry asked sheepishly.

I paused for a moment before responding. "Look, Harry, I know why you came out here." I said as I continued to stare at the nuts, feeling his eyes burning into me.

"I understand if you can't tell me." he said to my relief, "I just want you to know that whatever you are doing, if you need help, I will be here for you."

I looked up to see him mustering a smile. He was afraid for me. This touched my heart and made me smile back. "Thank you Harry." I said. "You are a good friend."

"Yeah, well, I was hoping for a long drawn out confession, but I suppose that will do." he said with a chuckle.

I laughed with him, fully relieved at his understanding of the situation. He said what he wanted to say, so he stood up and returned inside. I glowed in happiness for a long moment. How thankful I was to have friends like Harry.

Next Chapter: Voldemort chats with Hermione, making her question many things. The next horecrux is found, but proves to be much more difficult to acquire than the last. What will happen once Harry and Ron find out about Hermione's dirty little secret? Find out!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

Note: The abbreviations at the top of each chapter is the point of view. LV is Lord Voldemort. HG is Hermione Granger, etc. etc.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Chapter 4: The One That Binds

(LV)

I awoke from my long sleep feeling well rested. There were no clocks in my room, but from the lack of light I could tell it was nighttime, wherever it is that I was. I could see perfectly clear in the dark, so there was no need for me to turn on any lights. For a while I just lay there on the bed, pondering everything about my situation.

I suddenly became curious as to what was in the hallway outside my door, so I threw away my blankets and rushed over to it. I had expected there to be many charms on the door, but as I opened it, nothing happened. I waited for a moment with the door cracked, listening for perhaps a guardian creature in the hall meant to keep me in my room. I had exceptional hearing, but noticed nothing, so I pushed the door open until it banged on the wall.

I leaned out the entrance of the door and gazed to my left and right to find nothing but blank white walls that made up a small room, much smaller than mine. Even the floor seemed to be cement and blank with no finish. I became bored exploring something that didn't have anything to find, so with a sigh, I returned to my room.

I jumped, for the girl was back sitting on the bed that I do not use. She had her small beaded bag sitting next to her, probably filled with food and water for me. She looked a little more distressed than usual, and her hair was slightly off, no longer smooth and curly, but wiry and a little bit out of control.

She gave me a fake smile. "Find what you were looking for?" she asked.

I slammed the door behind me, loving the way it made her jump. "No." was all I said.

I stood in front of her, leaning on the dresser, folding my arms. "What is in the bag?"

She patted her small pouch lightly. "Some things for you." she opened the bag and began pulling out items from it that clearly couldn't fit in such a small sack without the aid of magic. "I got you some soap, towels, more robes, sham-" she paused and awkwardly looked at my bald head as she pulled out a bottle of shampoo. She blushed, not to be cute, but because she was embarrassed that how foolish this made her seem. "Well, you don't have to use-"

"What about something to eat?" I asked, beginning to be impatient. My stomach churned as if it knew what I was talking about, but when I saw the brief look of surprise on her face, my growling stomach turned hot with anger. "Do you plan to starve me slowly?"

"I'm sorry." she whispered. This girl couldn't even have the decency to look me in the eyes when she said it, which made me even more angry.

"If you are going to keep me hostage here, you might as well treat me with some decency." I puffed, my anger somehow settling down once I began to see her cry. _Such a weak girl,_ I thought to myself, but I somehow didn't believe my own thoughts.

I shook my head. What was happening to me? Why was I having such sympathy for this stupid muggle girl? _She can't be that stupid, she caught and trapped you._ I rolled my eyes at my own thought. I was beginning to fight within myself again, some sort of side effect from having a part of my soul die.

"I don't even know what you eat." she said as she wiped away her tear, trying to conceal it from me.

"Sugar and centaur farts! What do you think I eat?" It was like night and day with this girl. With some things she was extremely intelligent, but with common sense, there was no contest.

Hermione stood up threateningly, wand in hand, eyes bright green. She glared at me as she said the words, "You could starve for all I care! I don't have it in me to do this anymore!"

I clapped my hands with a smile. "Great, so let me out and you won't have to worry about changing me."

She threw up her hands and rolled her eyes, completely exasperated. "You are such a…" but she stopped short.

I smirked and bumped off of the dresser, walking slowly towards her. She held her ground, staring back up at me, even when I pressed into her with my folded arms, she only braced herself. She was beginning to see me as less of a threat, which rubbed me the wrong way.

In a flash, I grabbed her shoulders and threw her backwards onto the bed. Before she could fight, before she could even yelp in surprise, I was on top of her, pinning her wrists down hard, my eyes a mere inch from hers. Fear, surprise, and curiosity poured out from her like a flood, almost taking me aback by it. I had to remind her that she was the weak one; I was the one in control.

I breathed in her sweet cinnamon scent, closing my eyes, making it seem like I enjoyed it. This didn't make her more afraid, but it made her put up a completely blank slate of emotion, completely blocking me once again from feeling what she felt. She apparently knew I enjoyed her fear of me, and has now grown too stubborn and proud to let me relish in it.

"Go ahead, tell me what I am." I whispered in her ear. Her head twitched, but her eyes remained burning into mine. She bit her lip, as if trying to control her tongue. I dug my nails into the back of her wrist hard enough to make them bleed, but she wouldn't give me the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. Her stare remained blank. "You think you could call me anything I haven't been called before?" I asked.

Her face showed the slightest glimpse of sympathy. "Anybody ever call you Thomas?" she asked.

The irritation I had for this child grew into a fiery spiral of fury. I held back my anger as I addressed her question. "I am not Tom." I said simply.

"That's your name, though. Tom Riddle."

Something inside me like a snake writhed at the sound of my former muggle given name. I growled at her "That is not my name."

"Yes it is, Thomas."

I barked and fastened both of her wrists underneath my left hand. With the other, I grabbed her face, palming her chin, digging my fingers in her soft cheeks. "I am Lord Voldemort!" I yelled, pressing my face against hers. "Take a good look around, while your still alive! I'm an indestructible master of magic. I am Lord Voldemort!"

Her breathing stopped and for a moment we just stayed there, looking at each other. She wasn't letting me feel any of her emotions but her face read that she was ashamed.

Be-beep. Be-beep.

I was done reasoning with this child. I got up off of her and went into the bathroom and slammed the door. I did not look into the giant mirror mimicking my horrifying body, I just sat on the toilet, elbows on my knees, face in my hands. I ignored the protesting ache of my stomach.

Hermione didn't try to say goodbye, she didn't try to knock or say she was sorry. She simply just left.

(HG)

I apparated to find myself face to face with Harry outside the tent. This didn't surprise him, though, so he must have been waiting for my return. I had so many emotions rushing through me, but I couldn't let Harry see any of them.

"Uh, hi!" I said sheepishly.

The look on Harry's face was grim. "I have found another horecrux."

I was taken aback. "What? How-"

"You're not the only one who can apparate without anyone else knowing." he grumbled taking my wrist and leading me into the woods.

It was beginning to rain and the dead leaves and dirt of the ground began to form a thick mush. It was dawn, the sky glowed pink and orange between the black gnarled tree branches.

"Where is Ron?" I asked but Harry gave no response. I was starting to worry. What if something happened to him? "Harry please talk to me."

Harry whirled around, his grip on my wrist tightened, aching the cuts that Voldemort had already dug in me. I yelped in pain before Harry could yell at me. He relaxed his grip and turned my wrist around, looking at them to see the small fingernail marks the Dark Lord inflicted on me. "How did you get those?" he asked, looking at me with worry.

"Harry, I can't tell you." I gave him a pleading look with my eyes. I knew if he would find out about what I was doing, he would kill Voldemort the first chance he got.

Harry bit his tongue. I knew he was growing tired of my secrets, and I could understand why. I felt halfway insulted that they had gone without me and found another horecrux. I kept feeling more and more distant from my friends and closer to their enemy.

"So where's this horecrux?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Harry paused, looking like he wanted to say something. For a few seconds, he just looked in my eyes and I had a flashback of when I was looking into Voldemort's eyes. They both had the same emotion in them: apathy. My stomach felt sick and my heart leapt into my throat.

"What happened to Ron?"

I began to run, even though I was running in the wrong direction. We had wasted so much time just talking and walking. Harry began to run too, guiding me to where Ron and the horecrux were.

In a clearing, on the edge of where our protection spells were cast to hide us, was Ron. I screamed in horror at what I saw.

Nagini was wrapped tightly around Ron's sides, her head staring into his eyes, waiting for him to die. Ron's face was red, almost as red as his hair, and he had a contorted look of fear. It was as though they were extremely detailed statues, neither one moved, they were just frozen in time. A very smart move of Harry to do, but why hadn't he just killed the snake?

"So, Nagini is a horecrux?" I asked.

"No, it's a small jewelry box that Ron has in his pocket. It belonged to Voldemort's mother." he said. "But Ron has the sword too. I froze them so I could get the sword out, but I couldn't, she has him wrapped too tightly."

"You can't move them? Maybe unwind her?" I suggested, feeling pressed for time. I wondered how long they could stay like that before Ron would die from lack of oxygen.

"No, she is just as powerful being still as she is in real life.""Alright, well, unfreeze them." I said urgently.

Harry raised his wand and gave me a quick look before he uttered the words to release them from his spell. It was as though they were statues that came to life. Nagini hissed and twirled in a violent blur while Ron was being suffocated, barely able to even scream. He struggled, throwing his hair about, but Nagini was so enormous, she could have wrapped him up in her entire body with more snake to spare.

"Stupefy!" I yelled with passion.

The spell bounced off of Nagini and blasted into a tree on the outside of the clearing, rocketing it to the ground with a loud crack. I was bewildered. My spell clearly had hit right into her thick side, how could it have just simply bounced off like that?

"Reducio!" I tried.

The spell had the same effect. It just simply ricocheted off of the giant snake and into another tree, making it become into a much tinier tree, almost like a stick in the ground.

"Obscuro!" Harry tried

Still nothing.

"Incendio!"

"Furnunculus! Expulso! Evanesco! Crucio!" Harry muttered any and every spell he could possibly think of to harm Nagini, with all of them bouncing off, and some of them flying so close to me that I had to dodge them.

This simply wasn't working. Every effort we made to harm, make disappear, or do anything to Nagini wasn't working. She must have been protected by the aid of Voldemort's magic. There was no way to touch her. We were going to have to try a different approach.

"Reducio!" I yelled again. This time I wasn't aiming for the snake. The spell hit Ron right in the head, causing him to instantly shrink to about the size of a toddler, giving him a chance to break free from the snake. I knew this wouldn't be enough though, so I ran up to her while she was distracted and jumped onto where her neck would be as best as I could, trying to wrap my arms around her jaw.

She thrashed and bucked and protested with loud hisses. I felt like a rag doll being thrown about. With every throw I had to right myself and cling onto her to distract her long enough to let Ron run away. Nagini threw herself into a tree in an attempt to knock me off. It twirled me around her body so that I was facing her bottom jaw. Spells whizzed by me as she thrashed to get me off of her. She rose her head up and slammed down with full force, smashing me into the ground. I was dazed, everything around me turned into white specked dots and I couldn't breathe. I tried clinging onto her but she was just too strong. Her smooth scales slunk out from my grasp and I could hear Ron and Harry screaming at me to run. The world was beginning to take its shape around me. I saw the sky, now yellow and blue above. I felt the breeze on my skin, chilling me as it flowed like water. It was like the calm before the storm.

Enormous pressure struck my left shoulder and as I screamed, I was twirling around, tightly being bound with the thick body of Nagini. I tried inhaling all that I could, but she squeezed me so hard that my lungs would surely pop. I breathed out all of my air with a loud painful moan. The pressure soon turned into pain as my body realized that Nagini had indeed bit me on my shoulder and refused to let go. One of my feet stuck out between the lengths of her body and I began to feel it being pulled in an odd direction as she coiled herself around me. I couldn't scream, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move. I could just feel the dull crack of my ankle as she broke it sending throbbing pain searing up my body. My mouth felt as though all wetness from it suddenly evaporated and it became dry. My eyes began to feel pressure behind them, which made me begin to panic. I had seen enough of Animal Planet to remember that before you die, your eyes pop out and every bone in your body breaks.

As if on cue, Nagini bit down harder onto my shoulder and I felt it crack underneath her strong jaw. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. I tried wildly to breathe, but had no room.

I saw Ron (now back to his normal size) and Harry give up the use of their wands and jumped onto the snake to attack it. As they jumped, I could feel the added pressure on me, my left hand cracked and folded into itself more than it could naturally, creating even more pain. My face was hot and wet with tears.

I felt a pull behind my naval that didn't seem in place. The beautiful blue and white sky ran like ink on a page and suddenly I saw pink and yellow wallpaper. I had apparated back into the hotel room! Nagini must have been squeezing me so hard that she hit the button on my watch to make me apparate! But there was a problem…

Nagini, Ron, Harry, and I had all apparated into the hotel room together…

Next Chapter: Will Voldemort call off his precious Nagini to save Hermione, or will he use this chance to escape from the hotel room with Harry, Ron, or Hermione's wand? Find out!

A.N. Sorry, it took me so long to update this chapter, but the one I had been writing and finished just didn't fit into the story very well so I started over and made this one. Hope you like it, and thanks to everyone who reviewed so far. J


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

**Shout-out to reviewers:** A special thanks to **sweet-tang-honney **for constantly giving me simple but very positive reviews on both of my stories so far. It definitely helps me to see that someone is following my writings and wants to read more. Also, thank you to the anonymous reviews from **itsuptoyou**! Thank you very much for the detailed description of why you like my stories! Very insightful!

Note: The abbreviations at the top of each chapter is the point of view. LV is Lord Voldemort. HG is Hermione Granger, etc. etc.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Chapter 5: It is Time

(LV)

I was still sitting in my own silence in the bathroom as a sudden force of pain slammed into my body with blunt unexpected force. My ankle, shoulder, and hand all at once emitted excruciating pain that threw me onto my knees. I felt my lungs close, as if they had suddenly collapsed. Tried as I might, I simply could not suck in oxygen again, much like when I was choking Hermione.

_My master, my love, I have found you!_

It was Nagini, my faithful wonderful servant! I quickly realized what has happened. From the commotion that came from outside my closed door and the pain I was feeling I could tell that she had gotten a hold of the girl keeping me captive.

_Master, there are 3 of them. One is the Potter boy!_

A foul sense of disgust rose into me as I heard his name in my head. It was Harry, the boy who lived. As I sensed his presence, I also sensed my own, split into two parts. They had two of my horecruxs!

I struggled to crawl to the door but the world around me was starting to blur. The walls washed together with the floor, the sounds of my company outside the door that kept me hidden became muffled. I felt dizzy and sloppily lay on my side.

_Get the boy, Nagini! The Potter boy, let go of the girl! I pleaded. It wasn't her fault, she didn't realize what she was inadvertently doing to me. _

_My lungs opened and I sucked in beautiful sweet precious air. My shoulder, hand, and ankle were still lame, but I could at least breathe. I halfway crawled, halfway slithered towards the door, peering under the crack, judging if it was a big enough opening that a wand could fit through._

"_Acio wand!" I yelled._

_A few seconds later, a short brown wand slammed into the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. It was struggling to get to me, and fleeted back and forth trying to shove its way through the too small of space._

_I leaned up on my good shoulder and hand, reaching for the door handle with my gnarled injured one. If I could just open the door a little, I could get it, but the handle seemed unusually high up. I dragged my injured leg forward, leaning more on my good one. I accidentally swiped my foot on the wall, which shot pain up through my leg, making me bite down a growl. _

_As I stretched my arm forth towards the handle, I gingerly tried turning it with my lame hand. I couldn't efficiently open the door with my uninjured hand because my shoulder was also hurt on the same arm, and I knew without trying that I couldn't lean on it. The pain when I tried grasping the door knob was sharp and crisp. Just one gentle touch made my nerves beg for mercy. I grinded my teeth as I tried again, concentrating hard on making my fingers work. They were contorted in a sick way, making me realize that Hermione must have been injured during Nagini's attack. If only I could heal her, I could get to the wand. _

"_Harry!" I heard Hermione scream._

_I tried delving into her mind. I concentrated on the three outside my door, drifting through their thoughts as I discerned which one was Hermione. I realized quickly which one was Harry, and retreated from his thoughts. It would be better that he didn't know I was here, even though I knew his lightning bolt scar must be burning with pain by now. I concentrated on the next person. The thoughts were fitting to the girl, so I concentrated my powers on her hand, trying to heal it. I said the words in my mind and fought with the agonizing pain that distracted me. I could barely use my head. Everything seemed to happen quickly, it seemed like it took me only a second to heal her. _

_I watched my hand as my fingers snapped back into place. The process felt like it should have been painful, but I didn't even feel a slight irritation. I stretched them, testing them out and found them in working order. I reached up for the door again and turned the knob, sending the wand into the bathroom with a jolt. I scrambled on the floor to it and held it in my grasp. The power from it was greater than the Hermione girls and as I held it in my palm, I felt its magic coarse through my veins like poison. This was Potters wand._

_(HG)_

_Nagini had slunk off of my body, leaving me to fall apart to the floor. I sucked in glorious air like it was water and I was on the brink of dying from thirst. It felt so wonderfully painful to be able to breathe again. I wasted no time relishing in the moment though, because I saw the giant serpent lunge its body at Harry, catching him right in his upper arm and beginning to wrap its body around his chest. _

"_Harry!" I screamed. _

_Ron acted immediately. He reached behind his back and drew forth the giant sword of Gryffindor. _

_I felt an odd mixture of feelings at that moment. It felt almost as though something dark had overcome me. It felt very violating, like something alien was inside me. I looked at Harry and felt such anger, disgust, and hatred for him. I wanted to cheer on Nagini in her attempts to kill him. These were indeed not my thoughts._

_Just as quickly as the thoughts came, so did they disappear and I began to feel a warm sensation take over my injured hand. I looked at it and saw it begin to fill out to its usual shape. I could feel the bones cracking back into place and the deep purple and red internal bleeding faded. Even though it felt like it should have been excruciatingly painful, it wasn't._

_I looked at the door to the bathroom where I had left Voldemort only minutes before. I saw the wand trying to slink its way underneath the door and into the room. My heart lept into my throat. Voldemort was trying to get the wand!_

_I looked back at Ron, who was thrashing down a deadly blow of the sword onto Nagini right behind the back of her flat snake head. At that moment, an explosion ruptured out from the bathroom, sending Harry, Ron, Nagini and I flying backwards. I tumbled through the air, hitting the wall with a loud crack. My back had hit it with such blunt force that I caved in the wall. I heard a loud crash of broken glass and felt the warm air rush out of the room. _

_I struggled to right myself up into a sitting position. Dust and flying debris clouded the room, making any of it barely visible. I coughed violently, the thick dust of blown plaster and the sick smell of the drywall and wallpaper burning made me want to vomit. I fought back the nausea and opened my eyes again, trying to make out anything. The smoke quickly cleared out of the room from the turbulent winds of the arctic outside. I struggled towards the window, trying to look out into the snowy mountain tops. The weather was clear of falling snow, which made the view simply beautiful. The ice on top of the snow made it glitter and glisten like a white rainbow. There was a black dot in the middle of the beauty, immobile. _

_I looked back into the room, hoping to see if anybody else had survived the explosion. Nagini lay twirling slowly on one of the overturned beds, blood seeping from her. She had a nasty gash on the back of her neck where Ron must have been able to strike her before the explosion. A giant chunk of her side had seemed to be blown off. Around the gaping hole, her scales and muscles were singed black. If a snake could scream in agony, she was doing it. She writhed around, knotting into herself as blood poured from her wide gaping mouth. She was utterly pitiful in her state._

_A flash of silver caught my eye and a terrible crunching wet sound. Harry, all bloodied, robe torn, black ash ridden and in all his manly glory severed off the head of the terrible man-eating snake. I am sure it was in self defense, but I definitely knew he was putting it out of its misery._

_A scream emitted from across the room. Through the dust I could see a tall figure fall to the floor. Voldemort must have felt his precious snake die. _

_I had no time to worry about him at the moment though, because I didn't see Ron anywhere. I crawled as quickly as I could to the broken window and retrieved my wand from my robes pocket. _

"_Acio Ron!" I croaked. My throat was on fire from trying to suck in air when Nagini was wrapped around me._

_The small black speck grew larger and larger as Ron ascended back up towards the room. The closer he came, the more detailed I could see him. He was badly injured. Blood caked on his face and arms, robes torn to shreds. He was unconscious. I quickly changed my retrieval spell to a levitating one and gently set him down onto a clear spot on the floor._

"_Acio wand!"_

"_No!"_

_I adverted my attention back to Harry, who had retrieved his wand from the struggling Voldemort. _

"_Crucio!"_

_He stood menacingly, wand pointed down right at the already injured, already in pain Dark Lord. My heart grew heavy as I saw him writhe on the floor, yet again in excruciating pain. He must be injuring himself even more by the way he thrashed and fought to get away. He had already been through so much excruciating pain, and Harry was just digging in the knife._

"_You like that, don't you! Tell me you like it!"_

_The man pointing the wand was Harry, but the voice that came from him wasn't his. It was contorted, tainted, sinisterly evil. All of the pain Voldemort had caused Harry throughout his entire life, from killing every member of his family, Cedric, to hurting and corrupting those around him was burning through his curse, electrifying every nerve ending in the Dark Lords body. He was in utter torture._

"_Harry stop!" I pleaded._

_But he ignored me. He was completely fixated on Voldemort. Nothing else mattered to him, nothing else even existed. I was barely sure he even heard me. _

_I fumbled with my wand, trying as quickly as I could to heal my injured ankle and shoulder so that I could stop Harry from his cruelty before the pain would kill his victim. I only healed myself enough so that I could walk. I struggled onto my feet and limped over to Harry, grabbing him around his arms, fighting to turn him away. He screamed and fought back, wanting Voldemort to suffer._

"_You don't want to do this Harry!" I said, trying my best to speak clearly through my burning throat._

"_Yes I do, Hermione, let me go!" _

_My shoulder ached in protest to Harry's struggles. I fought with him for a long time, trying to calm him down to be able to think rationally. I grabbed his wand from him, which he surprisingly let me do, trusting me still._

_After the curse lifted, Voldemort just laid on the floor, twitching and spitting up blood. Harry sat on the floor with my guidance, staring into nothing, completely shocked from the whole situation. He finally had decided it would be best for me to handle it. I knelt down to the Dark Lord, holding up his head onto my legs. His body was shaking violently, face sopping wet with tears. My heart ached for his misery and I began to cry. _

_I wasn't able to do this. Dumbledore was asking too much of me. Since I had taken Voldemort and held him captive, I have done nothing but cause him pain and agony and starvation. I hadn't even had the consideration to bring him food. After just a few short weeks I had already exposed my secret to Harry and Ron, who surely would not see Dumbledore's plan like I had. The room I had secured him in was blown apart. Ron had been thrown out a window into the freezing mountaintop and was knocked unconscious, probably having a concussion or worse. But the worst of all things was Voldemort. He had to have gone through so much pain, so much corruption to make him the way he was, and I was only making it worse. I was only proving to him that muggles were incompetent fools, incapable of performing great magic and incapable of following through any complex task. I had completely failed everyone around me, especially Harry and Ron. They both trusted me, and yet I was keeping their enemy? How could they ever forgive me for that?_

_For a while I sobbed, great, hearty, body shaking, loud sobs as I clung onto Voldemort. I felt such utter helplessness. I could not do this alone, but there was nobody on earth who could help me. Surely if Snape hadn't killed Dumbledore, he would have helped me. But he was gone. I would never see him again. I sobbed for him, and how unfair it was that he had to die. I sobbed for Cedric, for Neville's parents, for Harry, for Sirius. I could have stayed there and cried forever if I had let myself, but I couldn't._

_I had to be strong. I was the only person crazy, stubborn, and sympathetic enough to see that Voldemort didn't have to die for his chaos to end. He needed guidance, he needed healing, he needed someone who would understand him and stick up for him, not because he is right and just, but because he is a human._

_Next Chapter: Will Harry and Ron accept Hermione's efforts to change Voldemort? Or will they abandon her, forcing her to become someone she wasn't for the sake of justice and goodness? Find out!_

_A.N. Yes I know it seems like I am trying to turn Hermione to the dark side, but I tell you, this is not what I am doing. I too have grown tired of the Dark Hermione fics. She is not converting to the dark, but she is showing her compassion and humanity. _


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Chapter 6:

(HG)

The room was still. We all needed time to process everything. I had rebuilt the room, yet again, and restored everything to order. For the sake of distraction, the fact that we can not trust him, and because he needed time to heal after the painful cruciatus curse, we put Voldemort into a deep sleep. He was kept on the floor, with a pillow underneath his head. He looked even more vile with the dried blood and ash smudges on his milky white face. Even when he slept, his eyes looked cruel, forever suspended in anger. He did not snore, he barely even moved.

I had healed Ron as well. Harry hadn't help me put order to anything. I kept catching him just staring menacingly at Voldemort, so I moved him to the opposite side of the room and had us all facing away from him. I had given Harry back his wand, out of blatant respect, but still didn't trust him to control himself.

Ron got his senses together after I had healed him. I am sure he still had a headache, but his concussion was pretty bad. I didn't know spells great enough to make all the pain go away with such an injury. He too, kept looking over to Voldemort with mixed emotions. It was mainly of hatred, but I could tell by the way his eyes opened slightly more than usual and the fact that he wouldn't let go of his wand, that he still feared the powerful wizard.

We practically had a conversation without saying anything. Harry looked at me with such anger, I knew he wouldn't agree to allow me to do this anymore. Ron couldn't leave his best friend alone to take on the rest of the horecruxs either. I looked pleadingly at both of them. No words could say what I wanted to tell them. I wanted to cry out for help, but at the same time, how could I expect them to help their enemy? I had dreaded this day to come, and hoped that it wouldn't have so soon, but I couldn't escape it now.

Harry looked at me dead in the face. "You know I can't sit back and let you do this." he stated.

I arched my brows up. This is how it is going to be. This is what it has come to. "There is no reasoning with you?" I asked, looking pleadingly at both of them. I wished they would understand. I wished they hadn't been tainted enough by what Voldemort has done that they couldn't even show him any sense of humanity.

"No." Harry was saying it to me, but he looked at Ron, unsure of where his loyalty would lie when it came down to choose between me or him.

I looked at Ron, to see maybe if he had some sort of understanding for me. The look on his face dug a knife into my heart. It was distant, like he couldn't even see me anymore. "I'm sorry, Hermione." he said softly, looking away as he said my name.

I began to fight back tears. They were burning still in my eyes. A lump came into my throat and it became hard to breathe. I couldn't believe it. I had expected it to a point, but a part of me still believed Harry and Ron would maybe understand. That maybe our friendship could outlast this war. I fumbled with my hands, wanting to explain it to them. Maybe if they understood why I was helping Voldemort, they would change their minds.

I opened my mouth to speak, to explain everything, but Harry cut me off. "There's nothing else to say." He too wasn't looking at me.

I pursed my lips, feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I had such a hard task ahead of me. I couldn't believe they were going to abandon me to do it alone. Dumbledore, my parents, and now my two best friends. I had no one.

Harry and Ron stood together in unison and fumbled with their robes, straightening them out. They didn't know how to say goodbye.

"Don't let me find you with him." was all Harry said before they both apparated out of the hotel.

(LV)

The pain of my body had disappeared. I had been hit with a very powerful slumber spell from Hermione, which eased my agony. I did not dream of anything, I simply slept, enjoying the comfort my body was in.

"wake up!"

My body tensed and my eyes shot open. Hermione was standing impatiently in front of me. She must have been trying to release me from her spell for some time. I felt the aftermath of the cruciatus curse still on my nerves. It was like my entire body was in mild discomfort, except my head, that was still in mild pain. I wiped away the crusted blood from my mouth, and she grabbed my arm fiercely. Something had happened. She had never dared to touch me like that.

"Get up!" she demanded. I withdrew my arm from her and decided that it would be better if I just let that one slip by.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. Her eyes were pink and puffy. She had a blank slate wall up again, not letting me feel her emotions.

"Harry left." she said simply.

Without trying to kill me in my state of sleep? She must have convinced him not to, because judging from how powerful his crucio curse was, he definitely could have mustered the strength for a powerful killing curse. This made me curious. This muggle girl, who was the best friend of my enemy, had given up her friendship in the hopes that maybe I could change?

"You are a fool." I stated.

Her eyes became slits of pure evil, yet her brows arched up. She wanted apathy from me. "I don't even have the strength to argue with you."

"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked.

She sat there for a moment. She barely breathed. She didn't want to exist, that was for sure. I couldn't count the many times I have seen people in her state. She had nothing to live for yet she didn't have the courage to take her own life.

"Come with me." I said.

She looked at me with fake curiosity. I knew she knew what I meant, but she was afraid of answering so she pretended like she didn't. Before she could speak, I interrupted her. "You have shown me more loyalty than many of my death eaters. I have you." I stated.

"You don't 'have' me!" she exclaimed.

I smiled. This girl made me smile an awful lot. "Your 'friends' probably are already going to their precious Order right now to tell them where I can be found. They will be far more cruel to me than Harry was, and you don't have enough time to remake another place to keep me contained. You cannot go back, and you cannot stay. You must move forward."

"I can go back." she said trying to convince herself more than me. She was beginning to make me impatient. We didn't have much time for her reflecting on things she's done.

"Your fate is Azkaban. You will not be able to get out of it. Of course, once I gain the Ministry, you could be set free, but that's if you are one of mine."

She didn't respond. Tears were about to wash down her face. Lord, child, we didn't have much time left!

**CRACK!**

**The door to the fake hallway split open and in poured the various members of the Order. I didn't know many of their names, but I knew that not all of them had come. There were only four here to subdue me, which irritated me greatly. They only sent a handful to capture the most powerful wizard in history? Either they greatly underestimated me, or they had more posted in the arctic outside. **

**I grabbed the girl and held her in front of me. I dug my hand quickly into her robes and found her wand. I dug it into her throat threateningly. She was so much shorter than me, so she didn't exactly block me very well, but she would have to do. **

"**Now, take it easy-" the tall red haired man said cautiously, making an effort to not say my name.**

"**Ah, Weasley, I had anticipated for you to come." I said with a smug smile as I dug the wand deeper into her throat, making her muster a yelp of pain. I could feel the pressure in my throat as well, but dismissed it quickly. **

**With a pound of his walking stick to the floor, Mad-Eye boomed "Confringo!"**

**A wave of flame errupted like a force from where his staff hit the floor and rushed up onto Hermione and my feet as though we were drenched in gasoline. The flames errupted up our bodies and before I could put it out, I heard another very familiar spell being shouted.**

"**Avada Kedavera!"**

**The woman with the purple hair had ordered this one. I could feel the fire begin to singe my skin, and saw the bright green glow of the killing curse rocket towards us. **

**I knew she would apparate us out of the room. Despite her empty feeling, her survival instincts still prevailed. I landed gracefully on warm grass and felt the sun on my back. Spells cannot follow a wizard when they apparate so we were both no longer on fire. My skin was irritated, but not harmed. My robes though, had barely been able to keep me covered. **

**I looked in front of me and saw the frantic mess of Hermione trying to keep herself covered. Apparently her robes weren't made of a fireproof material like mine, so they were falling apart around her. She had her hand in a piece of unharmed robe holding it in place in front of her naval and had her forearm wrapped around her chest with another piece of robe. I still had her wand, so she couldn't do anything to repair them. **

**I slowly walked towards her, keeping my eyes on hers but watching her with my peripheral vision. She had nice, honey colored skin.**

**I etched that thought out of my mind and concentrated on her eyes, making a mental note that they were green. I waved my hand in a small arch-like motion and purple robes appeared over her, covering her body nicely with a small amount of lace aligning the sleeves. She opened up her arms and took a look at herself. **

"**Thank you." she said with heavy sadness. She still felt empty. She had forgotten to put up her wall of blank emotion so I couldn't feel what she felt. It was a terrible feeling.**

"**You do not have to stop existing. You can go on with your life." I said to her. She looked up at me with big glistening eyes and it made my mouth twitch.**

"**I can't." she said.**

**I pointed her wand at her. She was no longer safe from her spells, she had nothing that would block me from ending her life. I looked at her threateningly, but it didn't phase her. She was completely gone, completely in sorrow. She couldn't even stand up straight, she looked like a doll with too little stuffing inside. I lowered the wand and looked at her with pity.**

"**Won't you still try to change me?" I asked insincerely. I was going to trick her into becoming like me. I would justify her staying with me as her attempting to change me, but really what I will do is change her. **

**She said nothing at first, maybe trying to decide if I was tricking her or not. I didn't want to make it seem obvious that I was so I said nothing more, I just waited for her to make up her mind.**

**She stood there for a long moment, just staring at the ground. On the surface she seemed blank, but I could tell her mind was racing. I was beginning to grow even more impatient and the quietness around us was becoming awkward. **

**I tossed her wand in front of her, having it land near her feet with a small thud. I turned and began to walk away, my back towards her. I felt a burning inside me, but I believed she would stop me. Tell me she wanted to be mine. I would find out soon enough if she didn't. **

**Next Chapter: So does Hermione justify accompanying Voldemort in an attempt to change him? Or does she decide death is better?**

**A.N. Thank you all for being patient with me as I write the next couple chapters. I am extremely busy at work and in my personal life at the moment but will try to post up a new chapter as soon as I can!**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter. This story is to serve as entertainment for me and hopefully for those who read it. I am making no money off of this story.

Summary: Voldemort is finally captured by someone he doesn't suspect… Hermione Granger. But she is convinced by a tale she read in the book Dumbledore gave her that she can change him. But can she keep him contained and secret long enough? Find out.

Authors Note: Thanks again guys for such great reviews! Hopefully you will like what is coming up next! I also wanted to say that I am sorry about the documents having a lot of italics and bold lettering. On my copies on my computer, they are not like that, so I don't know if the uploader was being stupid or what, but I will try to refrain from including many of these in the future chapters.

Chapter 7: Feel the Hate

(LV)

"Wait!" 

I smiled to myself. Sometimes I think I could be a god, because I seem to know everything that's going to happen before it happens. I knew Hermione would come to my side. 

I turned around, the smile still branding my face. She looked so innocent and so dark at the same time. Those new purple robes I befitted to her complimented her uneasiness of her decision. Her brows were furrowed, absolutely fearing that she did not make the right choice, but the will to live holds up extremely strong in muggles.

I strode up to her gracefully, loving how she could no longer hold back her emotions, and let me breathe in her suspenseful fear. It tasted sickeningly sweet, like breathing in syrup. I towered over her, casting my dark shadow upon her figure, as I held out my open palm, waiting for her to adorn me with her wand. She looked at me with big eyes, and cautiously inched her wand outwards towards my hand. When she touched my palm with her wand, I felt the full shock of energy running through it. A very powerful wand had chosen her, which explained her skillfulness at magic to a certain degree, but still she was amazingly talented in it for being a muggle. She finally let go of it and I grasped it lightly, barely holding it. 

Without any warning, I struck her fiercely with the back of my hand, sending her sprawling on the soft grass. This one had been much stronger than the other times I had hit her, and a dribble of blood escaped from her mouth. I felt her shamefulness, I felt her confusion, and I felt a deep pain of sorrow run through her. She no longer had anybody who could comfort her the way she was used to. She was a horse that had to be broken, she had to be held more accountable for her actions.

"That was for capturing me!" I warned, daring her to try to think of clever little schemes like that again.

She dismissed her feelings and righted herself to a standing position again. Her body faced me, but she looked away, either in respect, or fear, but both were acceptable in my book. 

"Now come." I said, turning away from her. I felt her following me, but I could tell her eyes were on my feet, not my back. This girl learned quick how to deal with me. I liked it.

I stopped short of a clearing. Muggle homes were suffocating the distance in front of us. I did not want to waste my energy any longer, so I grabbed her forcefully but not fiercely, on her arm. With a wave of my new wand, we had apparated back to my favorite lair. 

The lights were limited, for I only needed them when I called my death eaters so they could see somewhat. The stones and walls were all made from grey stone, and the furniture had a gothic era to it. The wood was all cherry finish, real mahogany, combined with dark metal. My faithful mutt, Wormtail was there to welcome me back and to attend to my desires. 

"Can I take your cloak, my Lord?" he asked with his tongue out, drooling like a filthy dog desiring to be petted. He disgusted me, so I held up my hand, not even wanting to address him.

"Your wand, Wormtail!" I ordered.

He scrambled in his robes for it, pulling it out too quickly and dropping it clumsily onto the floor. He rushed to grab it, but I ascended it up into my left hand. I handed Hermione her old wand and switched Wormtail's into my right hand. 

"Point it on your right forearm." I commanded. She did as she was told. I could feel a new emotion come over her slightly. She was excited, unknowing. She was beginning a new stage of her life, and she had no idea what she was getting herself into. 

I touched the middle of her wand with the tip of mine, and felt my spell run to hers. I looked expectantly at her, waiting for her to allow my spell to continue through her wand and onto her skin. She flashed a look in my eyes, and then back to her forearm, allowing the spell to coarse into her veins. She furrowed her brow, as she started to feel the beginning burning sensation of becoming a death eater. Her skin would itch at first, and then grow into a burning sensation as the spell etched itself deep into her skin. Dark seemingly chaotic lines started twisting and etching around on her skin, until they became more orderly and formed into the familiar shape of a shake slithering out of the skulls mouth. The image became still and clear, and the outline began to emanate a soft glow of light around it. The crisp sound of something being singed broke through the air as the glowing light faded back into her forearm. It was complete, she was now mine. 

(HG)

Voldemort called for another one of his death eaters through my freshly pictured forearm. It burned a little bit, and as the snake began to writhe and come alive, I could feel it slithering in my skin like a festering parasite. We waited for some minutes later, until the one Lord Voldemort called apparated behind him. 

"My Lord?" Severus Snape's look of curiosity was almost humerous.

"You shall keep her away from me." Was all Voldemort had said before he batted us away with his hand.

I looked up to my former professor curiously. I had always known he had been on the Dark Lord's side all along. I wanted to hit him, I wanted to shout it out to the world about the things he had done to betray the sake of good, but I held my hatred inside. He looked at me the same way Voldemort had, only with more astonishment. 

He rushed me into the hallway and pulled my hood over my head so far in front of my face that nobody could see me. "You must come with me." he whispered, still monotone as ever.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him, walking so fast that he almost had to drag me. I wondered what the point of the rushing and the secrecy was, and knew I would find out why soon. 

We slunk through many dark hallways, passing by nobody, but still he had my hood shield me. We finally arrived to a tall arched wooden door and once he stood straight up and looked at it, it opened. I had expected it to creek, but it didn't make a sound as it swung. The smell of herbs and chemicals and heat filled my nostrils as I was dragged inside, the door slamming behind me. It looked like a science lab, with many beakers and bottles and things being heated, colored liquids bubbling through winding tubes, and steam coming out of one of them. Every space of wall was taken by a shelf, and on every shelf, there were many brown jars with labels on them, some barely legible. There were two chairs facing each other on the foreground, and Snape pulled me into one of them, and sat himself down into the other.

"You shall run from here, this is no place for you." He said in a worried tone.

I became confused. "What do you mean run?" I asked.

"Granger, you have no place here." He seemingly pleaded with me. I was astonished. Had Snape always cared for me in such a way? "You will not be able to cope with what is going to be asked of you. I am giving you an opportunity to RUN!"

"I don't want to run." I couldn't believe it, but this actually was the truth. Run to what? Azkaban was the only place to go to, besides here.

"You foolish, foolish girl!" He exploded as he slammed his fist on the table holding all of his liquids, making the liquid in some of the beakers threateningly thrash around, almost spilling out. "He does not care for you. You wont even last a week before he has broken you!"

"I have nowhere to go. Azkaban is the only thing waiting for me outside of here." I said with much surprise to my new bravery. 

"That is better than what awaits you here." he said, realizing that there was nothing he could say to convince me to change my mind. 

My gaze didn't wander from his, so he looked away, frustrated and somewhat sad. "You must be willing to do anything, Granger." he said seriously, looking back at me again. "You must be willing to do anything, no matter how much you don't want to." his eyebrows arched up slightly for a moment, making him almost look sad.

"I have nothing left to hold onto but this." I pleaded with him. I could do it. I could do anything. I had nothing that would hinder me from thinking twice about anything. I could become Voldemort's pet for a while, gaining his trust, until I could reason with him.

"Then I pity you, because you need something to keep you alive. You need some sort of stronghold, some reason why you are doing this. If not, you won't make it." 

I considered this and thought of Dumbledore. His story will be forever told through muggle history, and someday, the story of how he left one impossible task to his student, and she completed it, not for humanity or for ethics, but for Dumbledore's honor. She will change Voldemort, she will make him tolerable and civil enough to be captured. No matter how many times she had to be struck, how many things she had to do to gain his trust, no matter what she would have to do. She will complete his last dying wish, so that he may rest in peace.

Next Chapter: The task Voldemort expects of Hermione. The horrors of the other death eaters, and the silver lining of it all.


End file.
